The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-07-02
ORIGIN OF FEvERS.
Dangerous Diseases Comfortable by Eff
icient Sanitary Protection.


les of sanitary science is that most OF
the diseases that are communicable
have an origin outside Of the human
systemq We are to look for their
causes in the soil about us or in the
food we eat or the, wafer we drink.
There is no division Of this class, Of
which this is more. surely true than OF
the specific feyers. We have long
known that remittant fever and chllls
and fever were dependent on in tl
ences from without, Typhus fever has
been SO distinctly traceable to sur
roundings as to become known under
the names Of ship fever, Jail fever and
the like. That strange form, known
as relapsing fever, has Similar his
tory Typhoid fever has SO often been
traced in the Influence of surroundings,
that most only look upon the body as
the host Of the micTotypel The yari-
Gus forms of fever of a mixed type,
such as typholmalarial, cesspool and
some forms OF septic fever have SIM
liar origin. Even puerperal fever has
more recently taken its place among
the fevers of exterior origin 1t, there
fore, becomes exceedingly important
that.we estimateuand locate these vari-
GUS causes, that we'may interrupt their
sad invasion and fatality supH .m7ii
AL As what is true of typhoid fever, is
Illustrative oflnost of the rest, it may
be studied as q specimen. 1t has long
been acquisition whether it arises indie
pendentlg of san Introduction of the,
germ inso the. human body which thus
must become the uinteumedi&te host,
in order that the specific character
may be shown. lIt1cap not be denied
that most of the cases arc trseeable to
an anfecedent ease. This you'd be
expected of any COMMUNICABLE disease,
/ The number q, such origins should not
throw suspicion on the evidence as to
those cases that can not be found TO-
: have such history, ,The. light that is
being cast upon epidemiol9gy by the life
history of micro-organism !. Indicates
that there are varying forms, and that
cultivation and various influences can
very much, change the, character. Thus,
although there is no Spontaneous gen
GRAFTON, there are such variations from
a the original type as to beget a perma-
D nency Of character and apparently
4 give rise TO a'distinct ahd'stable variety
1t is not dihitult in'the botanical sphere
to which these minute organisms be-
> long to find these changes types which
Ehave become so,difereht and perma
4 nent in their character as to maintain
an identity Of their own. Il throw:
some light upon this, when we remem.
! Der that such Diseases AS dtphthcria and
: typhoid fever now have idistinctnes;
y of their own which couldnot have beer
IS overlooked by the practitioners OF fifty
VI years ago had it existed as plainly a:
o now. Also, it IS the most natural way
l. of accounting fdr'the 6riginof new dis
s. eases. nHl4 is9ine ~ sih1 YHs ~
n Our studies of typhoid fever plainly
u point to its. origin from certain de
y graded conditions of filth, as well Al
d from the Introduction of the inhumar
, secretions into the air. or the food anC
n water SUPPLY While water is a fire
n quent conYeyancer, our attention may
e become too concentrated upon it. Fo,
n the moisture of air may convey it a
y well as water in a more perceptibl,
al form, Also, food (which has been il
le the room of the patient or in the yicin
- ity of the excavations, may become al
absorbent and conveyancer. When
, evera case of typhoid fever occurs, w
are at once to recognize that all secre
q. tons are to be neutralized so that Their
shall not emanate any thing therefron
', that can affect the air, the water or tn
~ food. 'a b.H uiit' H"i di,-
!, Next to this, we must know tina
~ many believe that polluted soil can I'm
81 dergo such degraded and vicious de
~ compositions as that it may original
. or propagate such changed forms c
= disease as this. As to cholera, this
n the distinct view of Pettenkofer, an
'h as to typhoid fever, he considers tn
" ground very prominent factonli A
~. 10 this means that we must deal with SUI
~ roundings as we'll as with secretion'
nc as having intimate relations to sue
et diseases. We often have fevers tn;
w can scarcely be classified as of spt
~ cific type, which have very suspicion
~ relation to their surroundings. I'll
u; tendency of all those ground pollution
u which nature can not dispose Of is
l.la generate fever in the persons at fir
~ exposed to them. The safety of Il
ol human system is in the securement !
e5 clean ground, pure air, pure food al
~ pure water. These are far more und
as control in fact, than they are in pra